BMW R1250R Top Five DISLIKES! 

Yeah it's good to be able to have these conversations! I'm glad you like my mock up image of the headlight... I'd love to customise the bike this way!

Thanks George, I do know about the linked brakes as my S1000R also had them, but on that bike I could still use both brakes without having the rear ABS throw a fit. It's just a mental re-adjustment. I'm still really enjoying the bike overall!

Thanks for the feedback Bruce! Overall the gearbox is great most of the time and I can even get a smooth quickshift between 1st & 2nd a lot of the time! The rest of the time though... clunk! I think I'll tend to use the clutch for the lower gear changes but we'll see how it goes. I've done 3000 miles now and I hope things keep bedding in. On balance I'll keep the Sport screen on, mainly because I don't want to spend loads of money testing alternatives! I need tyres in the next week or so... I think I'm going to go for Metzeler M9RR because I have two trackdays lined up!! It's an awesome bike though and yes stay tuned for more videos 😊

@@RikkyTang please do a video on your track days. I’d love to see how the 1250 goes on track!

@@bruceleong9534 Don't worry - I plan to have three or four cameras attached to the bike 😁

Hi Paul, it's been slow progress with the bike and specifically the exhaust! I have had to come up with my own DB killer and I've been trying to arrange some dyno time so I can find out what effect it's having on the bike. That fell through but I think the DB killer is working the way I want it to, finally! I have been making vids and taking photos so I'll put an update together over the next few days. Thanks for asking by the way!

@@RikkyTang Thanks, I will wait to see what you share. Glad you are doing well.

I will be keeping the clunks under review lol Not much we can do about it really but it is one of life's little mysteries that it would be good to understand.

Thanks for the feedback! 😊

That's interesting to know that you've had no trouble with the ABS. I'm wondering if something went a bit awry in the change over from the Brembo front calipers to the Hayes front calipers that I have on my bike? It's no biggy, just a little change in riding style to not use the back brake with the front. 1971... and I thought I had been riding for a long time!! I did have a ropey Honda CB400/4 many years ago and you didn't so much brake when it rained... you prayed 😂

I also had a 400/4 F1 - the one with the pillion footrests mounted on the swing arm 😂 Mine was in good nick, though, as I bought it in 1976!

@@malcellison8831 I would have loved one in good condition! Sounded glorious on the original 4-into-1 pipes 😍

I'm sorry RW but I think the last time I took a passenger on the back of any bike was about 2008 and so I can't help you there! It wouldn't be right to speculate on passenger comfort and so I hope you can find the answers you need.

I love the colour scheme on mine, but that front end... 🤮 Still, the bike gets under your skin with the awesome amount of torque on tap!

My bike came with it already fitted so I can't say I'm afraid. I don't think it would be too hard, maybe there will fitting instructions somewhere online that you can download.

What I find is that if I go down through the gears with the auto-blipper while hard on both brakes at the same time, the rear ABS does kick in. However if I down the gears while only hard on the front brake, the rear ABS does not interfere. So in my mind the rear ABS calibration is a little over-sensitive.

Hi Karl thanks for writing in! The Ninja 1000SX is certainly a great machine and so is the ZH2... when that beast spools up you need to hang on! But yeah the ZH2 is also pretty comfortable and handles well too. The styling of my bike is not that great but at least I think I've got the best colour scheme out of the available options!

absolutely - it's a brilliant bike overall!

Well I have to say that it's not the visuals that attracted me to the bike (although I like naked bikes and overall its not a bad looking machine IMO) but it was the engine and power delivery that first got me interested in this model. After the first test ride I found that I really like the chassis/handling too. It's just right up my street! I can't really think of anything I'd like to swap it for, apart from a newer version of the same bike with more power/torque at the same revs! That bike doesn't exist yet but I'm hoping that a R1300R comes out in a year or two with more performance and better technology (plus LED lights all round haha)

@@RikkyTang I really do get the power thing we are all similar in that respect but I am thinking your bike is probably good for 150+ mph , and will get there really quickly now .So can I ask how fast we actually need to top out at on the road and how quick do we need to get there . I my self would like a speed triple or for me also a GSX-S1000 but when I really think why? is it because my bike is to slow for me or can not get to 80mph/100mph quick enough, no not really I will be honest the power I have is more than enough for me but maybe we just get caught up in the hype of the sales team or bloggers who say this is the bike to have or whatever but it seems a never ending search for what ? I'd like to know your opinion on this. Sorry if I have droned on to long but it is interesting to know different peoples opinions : ) Cheers Rikky

@@crumblymal8479 I don't want to go any faster to be honest Malcolm... I'll probably never try to get the top speed out of this bike (maybe on the trackday I will haha). For me it's about torque... for example I want to get from 20mph to 50mph in sixth gear quicker, or 10mph to 40 in third... that the kind of improvements I would like to see. Ultimately, I think the only type of motor that will truly make me happy is an electric one! They have huge torque from zero revs and I think basically that is what I'm looking for... but right now the price, range and recharging times make electric bikes a non-starter for me. Please continue to drone away!! 😂 I'm happy to discuss these things and then people also get a better idea of what I'm about on the channel too.

Yes it does but if you are talking about the rear ABS kicking in, it only does it when I'm going down the gears with both brakes on i.e. both levers activated by me. There's no problem going down through the box with the front only, which I presume doesn't apply as much rear brake pressure though the linked system. I've had the same thing happen on a R1250RS and 1250GS too 🤷‍♂

@@RikkyTang I suppose what I was alluding to was as the brake is already on from the linked system applying more rear brake is effectivly doubling the rear brake force - I had a GS and very rarely used the rear unless I was on gravel roads

@@LemonDrizzleGang Ahh I see, gotchya! If I remember rightly I think it's a twin piston brake caliper at the back so indeed the linked system might activate just one of them and my right foot could activate both

The good news here is that the front and rear brakes are linked (as they are on a number of BMW's) so when you use the front brake you automatically get some of the rear anyway. But still, the fact the back brake goes into ABS so easily when using it in conjunction with the the front is frustrating.

@@RikkyTang OK, so it is a bit like Moto Guzzi's old integral braking system in which the brake pedal also, proportionally, activated one of the front disks. On your Beemer the rider probabaly only adds adds to this combined activation via the brake pedal without both inputs being actively evaluated/ conttrolled and corrected accordingly for the rear brake, or at least not being correctd sufficiently. That would actually explain the behaviour you describe. It's a design flaw all the same though. No such problems on the Guzzi's where the front brake lever only activated the second front disk. No such interactive problems there.

Glad I'm not alone with the design of the front end 😁 It's that thing about finding the right screen that frustrates me so much... I've been through the process already with my old Suzuki Bandit and I don't want to go through it again!

Oh I wouldn't have kept the original reflector or bulb in the ZRX unit, I just think a headlight fairing at a sensible height looks better than what I've got. Obviously I did take that design of the headlight into account when buying the bike... didn't stop me from buying it because the positives outweigh the negatives by a big margin 😁 I'll look into the daybreakers though, cheers for the recommendation 👍

Bedankt u for commenting 😊 its not a big problem but it also happens sometimes when using the quickshift/autoblip so I'm not always using the clutch when it happens. It's not a major issue, just one of the few things that could be better. I know that generally Boxer gearboxes are a lot better than they used to be!

You're probably not wrong but overall this bike is the best bike I've owed so far!

Yes BMW have got to keep the heritage thing going haha

That is a fair comment and demonstrates a level of ignorance of the brand on my part. However on that basis it performs even better on track than I could have hoped, whilst remaining an excellent road bike.

I didn't want the additional weight of the RS and also found the screen/fairing created buffeting for me when I rode one. Also the R has a more upright riding position that I prefer. Simple answers 😊

No regrets buying this bike, I'm very happy with it! It's not perfect but I'd struggle to think of a bike that could replace it and have all the right attributes that this bike has.

@@RikkyTang Thanks for the reply!

@@RikkyTang I'm torn between s100r and the 1250r. This video seems to push me towards the s100r now.. Would you go back to s100r or still choose the 1250r

@@gjzosa9425 You might be interested in my Dilemma playlist which goes through my thought process of selling my Gen 2 S1000R and buying the R1250R. ru-vid.com/group/PLt0htBe4TlqN6NvYXD44dE4k47pGLHeR9 In my case I would not want to go back to the S1000R - not even the latest version. There are several reasons but mainly I love midrange torque and the S1kR hasn't got enough for me!

And it can be ridden fast :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GQyg1c8p8i0.html

Thank you for the feedback RRR 😊

The positives hugely outweigh the negatives...

I thought R was for GRRRRR! 😂 Only joking, honestly I think the bike is good at going slow and also good at going fast, that's why I like it so much!

Yes its very annoying! The naked R model is the only one in the 1250 range with a halogen headlight now. But its not a deal breaker... in fact it also turned out that the headlight beam had been set too low from new! The light is now "good enough" at night with the proper headlight alignment.

@@RikkyTang thanks, thats good info that is. Can’t believe they’re using halogen bulbs on such a premium motorcycle

Well I didn't like the added weight of the RS on an already heavy bike, plus the screen buffeted my helmet in either position so it wasn't an option.

@@RikkyTang would you take a long trip on the R with that small screen?

@@tonydavis5053 I did a 1200 mile trip in one week this year with no screen at all.

Yes the R nineT range looks pretty good but I do really like the look of the last two generations of S1000RR too, I cannot lie! Many years ago they had a beast called the R1200ST.. a minger if ever I saw one!

🤣 Nah - I didn't really want a bike even heavier than this one! But when the water cooled 1300 model comes out I may take a closer look 😁

@@RikkyTang lol, the gear box is the same on my GS, sometimes on the quick shifter it can be smooth then on others sound and feel like a rollercoaster connecting to a chain. Though I’ve always been tempted by the ‘R’ because it’s a big naked bike that won’t try and kill you.

@@iam_mono1892 Yep sounds like you know what I'm talking about with the gearbox lmao The R is a great machine and because it has the same engine as the GS it has a better power/weight ratio! But I wish I had Enduro Pro mode so that I can have traction control but still pull wheelies 😄

This is a video specifically about the things I DISLIKE about the bike... didn't you notice? Not that you'll be bothered but there's plenty I love about the bike if you take a look at the other 40+ videos I've made that feature it.